Internet safety - Cyberethics, cybersafety, cybersecurity (due 7/28):
Individually, students will write about an assigned internet safety topic that includes basic background information on the topic, strategies for integrating the concept into K-12 teaching, and assessment questions related to the topic.

Use this link to find information specific to this project and the topics to choose from. Once you have chosen your topic, post it below along with your name so that no one else chooses the same topic.

Project details:
https://docs.google.com/document/pub?id=1T3ibRfNwe0aQexu-bktgss5wI1tz5FzO-alGGFAyjWU




Wordle: File Sharing & Pirating

I) File Sharing and Pirating
  1. Description:
    1. File sharing
i. File sharing is the process of sharing information or data on a network or the internet. File sharing can be as harmless as sharing documents, emailing personal photos, etc. to as harmful as sending and receiving copyrighted content.
  1. Pirating
i. Pirating, as it relates to the digital world, is the illegal, unauthorized use of electronic copyright materials by copying or distributing them. This can be done either for profit or not and deliberately or not.
  1. What is the impact of this issue on K-12 schools, educators, and students?
    1. Schools
i. Schools have to create policies that distinguish between file sharing and pirating. In the contemporary, digital world, students learn by exchanging ideas and information. By limiting student potential, because of the potential harm of pirating, students will be limited in their educational careers. Many school systems, because of pirating and non-school related websites, have decided to totally control and limit the students’ access to the internet. We live in a digital world, so to limit a student’s interaction with the internet would be akin to not letting students read Krut Vonneguit. In the end, school systems are only doing a disservice to the student population, when the school system chooses to limit internet access.
  1. Educators
i. The job to make sure students understand the difference between file sharing and pirating rests on the teachers. Teachers have to be adept with the technology enough to know the difference them and how students interact with the internet. Educators have to have the knowhow to track student interactions on computers, while in their classroom. If educators give students a defined task, then track their progress, the harmful effects of the internet will no longer be an issues.
  1. Students
i. Pirating, for many students, is a way of life. We live in a world of instantaneous gratification. The contemporary student is always connected to the internet. Students have to be taught the merits of life, when not engaging in piracy. Only when students have a firm grasp on the real issues concerning piracy will they not partake. Additionally, students need to learn the positive interactions that can occur on the internet through the utilization of legal file sharing. When the internet becomes something more than downloading games and music, students will stop partaking in that avenue of the internet, and begin to pursue their own creative potential, as manifested by their own, personal work on the internet.
  1. Integrating this topic into a classroom activity:
    1. PreK-K & 1-3
i. Tell the students to think about their favorite toy or book. Ask the students how they would feel if someone decided to take it without asking. Then, explain to the students about how bad it is to take things without getting permission or paying for them.
  1. 3-5
i. With a story that the students created, have them share their story with a fellow student. Now, ask them how they would feel if someone took their story, without getting permission. Explain to them the difference between sharing something that they created versus sharing something that someone else owns.
  1. 5-8
i. Tell the students to think of how much work it is to produce a story. Ask them how they would feel if someone decided to steal that story from them, and then give it away to all their friends. Ask them to try and brainstorm a list of ways that one could protect their work. Tie into their feedback to lead into a discussion about copyright law and the reasons for it.
  1. 7-9
i. Have the students perform an online activity that explores a variety of sources. Have them look at certain songs, movies, etc. that do not have a copyright, ones whose copyright has expired, and ones that are copyrighted. Have them list the differences among these materials. Have them brainstorm a list of reasons for why copyrights are important.
  1. 9-12
i. Ask the students how many of them have bought a CD, movie, etc. recently. Ask them why they bought it. Ask them how much pleasure they get from it. Ask them to think of how long it must have taken to create. Ask them how long it takes them to do their homework, then compare it to how long it must have taken a musician to create an album. Have them create a class van diagram of the reasons for and against copyrights.
  1. Additional Links:
    1. More applicable for young kids, but a whole slew of games about internet safety, including piracy, http://sites.google.com/site/cybersafetygames/
    2. References:
      1. None.


Nicole Carlson - Tracking Cookies

Screen_shot_2011-07-27_at_4.41.24_PM.png

Description: Tracking cookies are used to detect internet user's movements as they "surf" the internet. They are placed "on" computers by online advertising companies and these cookies produce data that allows the advertising companies to see what you are doing and where you are going while you are on the internet. They are only created to track movement. And while this seems harmless it does raise some privacy issues. It allows other people to see what you are doing without your consent and even though they're easy to remove and they're primarily harmless, they're still a violation of privacy.
What is the impact of this issue on K-12 schools, educators, and students?
In some instances, tracking cookies may not be a bad thing. Let's say you are taking some classes online or you regularly log on to your school website. A tracking cookie will help the website authenticate you so that you are more easily able to log on to the site. Some people (parents, students and teachers), are wary of the tracking cookie for exactly what it does--tracks the movements of whomever is on the website--because it creates a privacy concern. Tracking cookies have become more sophisticated over the years and while they do have their benefits, everyone seems to agree on the main issue--privacy.
Integrating this topic into a classroom activity:
While students of all ages are using computers now, I can't help but believe that the one's using "jumpstart" and "Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego" are the ones we need to be worrying about. My activity focuses on children in secondary schools because I don't believe students any younger will really understand the implications. For the activity, which would take place in the computer lab early on in the year, students would watch the following video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCduHebLzCA

After viewing the video they would engage in a class discussion so that the instructor could be sure they understand what tracking cookies are. They would then take a short objective (multiple choice and true/false) quiz on tracking cookies to make sure they understand.


Additional Links:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCduHebLzCA

References:

http://www.ghacks.net/2010/07/17/what-is-a-tracking-cookie/

http://www.kyvc4k12.org/help.asp